unprovoked

adjective

un·​pro·​voked ˌən-prə-ˈvōkt How to pronounce unprovoked (audio)
: occurring without any identifiable cause or justification : not provoked
an unprovoked assault/attack
unprovoked anger

Examples of unprovoked in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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On Monday, three people were stabbed to death in the string of unprovoked knife attacks, which spanned from Chelsea to Kips Bay to near the United Nations. Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 22 Nov. 2024 The Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File recorded 69 unprovoked bites and 22 provoked bites last year worldwide. Dennis Romero, NBC News, 2 Nov. 2024 The call for an arms embargo comes amid Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza following the terror group's unprovoked attack on Oct. 7, 2023, and its military operations in Lebanon, following a year of rocket fire from Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran. Louis Casiano, Fox News, 15 Oct. 2024 Nine hundred days after launching his unprovoked war to swallow up neighboring Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has received a rude awakening: a surprise cross-border attack by Ukrainian forces, which quickly seized control of some 400 square miles inside southern Russia. Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for unprovoked 

Word History

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unprovoked was in 1534

Dictionary Entries Near unprovoked

Cite this Entry

“Unprovoked.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unprovoked. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.

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